Biden administration reviews cannabis and CMRS policies

Rahul Gupta, director of the US Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the drug control body attached to the Oval Office, spoke of several changes in US drug regulation policy in an interview published Wednesday by the Financial Times.

The «Drug Czar» explained that the Biden administration is «watching» the States that have legalized cannabis to potentially reassess federal policy, recognizing the failures of the prohibitionist approach.

He also said that the federal government is examining broader drug harm reduction proposals, including the authorization of supervised consumption sites - even suggesting possible decriminalization. 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year.

«We're learning from these states [that have passed cannabis reform],» said Gupta. «We're watching the data and trying to see where things are going. But one thing is very clear, and the president has been clear about this - the policies we've had around cannabis haven't worked.»

President Joe Biden campaigns on a cannabis decriminalization platform, rescheduling, respect for states' rights and other modest reforms, although he remains opposed to legalization of adult use, and has yet to take significant action on its earlier promises.

In this new interview, Rahul Gupta, who advised a cannabis company before working at the White House, also pointed out that, as far as general drug policy is concerned, «for the first time in history, the federal government is adopting specific harm reduction policies».

And he specifically argued that people «shouldn't be incarcerated, arrested, just for their drug use.»

While the Biden administration is still studying the clinical efficacy of safer consumption sites (SCMR), Rahul Gupta said the proposal to lift the existing federal ban is on the table.

New York City opened its first harm reduction centers at the end of last year. 59 overdoses prevented within the first 3 weeks of opening. Last year, the Governor of Rhode Island signed a bill of law to establish a SCMR pilot program.

Earlier this month, a committee of the California Assembly approved a bill of law passed by the Senate that would establish a pilot program allowing certain state jurisdictions to authorize safe consumption sites where people could use currently illicit drugs in a medically supervised environment.

According to a survey published in April, a majority of Americans (64 %) are in favor of allowing safe consumption sites.